Solo parenting and the tasks abound.
Shuttle the family to Sunday services
then rebound home to pick up my love.
Drive on the Dulles Access Road
at fifty-three miles an hour
—'cuz of the two cars in front of me —
then navigate a wide white water river
of undulating, bucking cars weaving in
and out of currents,
popping out around luggage eddies,
narrowly avoiding
the gauntlet of sudden reefs
comprised of jutting driver doors
swinging out without warning,
one and then another,
and then another,
none with any predictability
nor lesson for the next incursion.
Finally, Mr. Man
reaches pique exasperation
and decides to join the passengers
dumping out mid-stream.
"Where are you going!" I cry.
"This is beyond,
I just gotta get going
or I'll miss my plane.
Love you!"
He calls over his curved shoulder
as he tucks and rolls out of the vehicle.
We have become part of the chaos.
Well, I have — left to man this ship.
A few harrowing moments
of high intensity defensive driving later,
I am back on the freeway,
headed home
to a week of executive decisioning
without the benefit of my partner.
"You've got this, lady!" I rally myself.
Back home, it's time to hit the To-Dos
to get them To-Done.
The heart of Capitalism
the local Mall
on a Sunday afternoon,
so relaxing, okay, not really.
One of many revolutions
to the local fast fashion
teen clothing retailers
to return clothes purchased
on a whim
and wisely determined
not to belong in the closet.
Somehow during the day
I eek out time to 'search up'
and create my first sourdough starter
since the dark, lonely
cloistered days of the 'demmy.
Six years later, and still
the idea of crafting flavor out of air
and water and ground grains
is a thrilling act of patience and faith.
I mix up my murky,
lifeless Day 1, feeding 1 batch.
I place on its little linen bonnet
and I wait.
Check — one more item off the list.
Last on my long to-do:
write poems.
Lately, this is how it has been.
Creativity has found itself
in the backseat of my life
waiting, patiently, with faith,
for me to return to my open page,
to my keyboard, and Gitterdone.
